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The helicopter pilot who crashed into a Southern California hill last year, killing Kobe bryant and seven other passengers, went against his training and violated flight rules by flying in thick clouds, US safety officials said on Tuesday during a hearing to identify probable causes of the accident. Pilot Ara Zobayan probably became so disoriented he couldn’t see up and down, National Transportation Safety Board investigators concluded.
The agency criticized Zobayan’s decision to fly in the clouds, saying he violated federal standards that required him to be able to see where he was going before the helicopter crashed during a flight of around 40. minutes. Zobayan was among nine people killed, including Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter Gianna.
How to watch the NTSB chairman talk about the Kobe Bryant crash today
- What: National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Robert Sumwalt holds a media report on the council’s investigation into the fatal helicopter crash near Calabasas, California.
- Dated: Tuesday, February 9, 2021
- Time: 2 p.m. ET
- Location: Virtual
- Online feed: Live on CBSN in the player above and on your mobile or streaming device
The pilot went against his training by becoming spatially disoriented in thick cloud, a condition that can happen to pilots in low visibility, when they cannot tell up and down or discern which direction a plane tilts, board members said.
Just before the Jan. 26, 2020 crash, Zobayan told flight controllers he was getting on the helicopter and had almost broken through the clouds.
But security agency investigators said the Sikorsky S-76 helicopter was in fact tilting and starting to descend more and more, investigators said.
They also said Zobayan did not file a backup flight plan and chose not to land at a nearby local airport to wait for bad weather.
Mark J. Terrill / AP
There were 184 plane crashes between 2010 and 2019 involving spatial disorientation, including 20 fatal helicopter crashes, the safety council said.
Michael Graham, board member, said Zobayan ignored his training and added that as long as helicopter pilots continue to fly in clouds without relying on instruments, which requires a level of high training, “a certain percentage will not come out alive”.
“What part of the cloud, when you’re on a visual flight rules program, don’t pilots understand?” added Vice President Bruce Landsberg.
Tuesday’s meeting focused on the long-awaited probable cause or causes of the tragedy that unleashed the retired basketball star’s global grief, launched several lawsuits and prompted state and federal legislation.
Bryant, Gianna and six other passengers were flying from Orange County to a youth basketball tournament at his Mamba Sports Academy in Ventura County when the helicopter encountered heavy fog in the San Fernando Valley to the north from Los Angeles.
There was no sign of a mechanical failure and the crash was considered an accident, the safety committee said previously. The helicopter did not have so-called “black box” recording devices, which were not required.
The council is an independent federal agency that investigates transportation-related collisions, but has no enforcement powers.
He submits suggestions to agencies like the Federal Aviation Administration or the Coast Guard, which have repeatedly rejected some of the council’s safety recommendations after other disasters.
After the wreckage, there was a push to require all helicopters carrying six or more people to be equipped with terrain detection and warning systems, which was not present on Bryant’s helicopter. Democratic Congressman Brad Sherman last year introduced the Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant Helicopter Safety Act, which would order the Federal Aviation Administration and the Safety Board to place these systems in all helicopters, CBS reports Los Angeles.
However, lead investigator Bill English said on Tuesday that the system likely would not have been helpful in the scenario in which Bryant’s helicopter crashed.
The hilly terrain, combined with the pilot’s spatial disorientation in the clouds, would have been “a confusing factor,” English said.
“The pilot doesn’t know which direction is heading,” English said.
Federal investigators said Zobayan, an experienced pilot who often flew on Bryant, may have “misperceived” the angles at which he descended and banked, which can occur when pilots are disoriented in low visibility.
Investigators also criticized Zobayan on Tuesday for leaning to the left instead of going straight up when trying to get out of bad weather.
Along with Kobe and Gianna, 41, also killed in the crash were John Altobelli, 56, longtime coach of the Orange Coast College baseball team, his wife Keri, 46, and their 13-year-old. . -old daughter Alyssa, who was a teammate of Gianna.
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